Gas-tubing.



Patented Nov. |902.

No. 7I3,559.

L. P. DODGE.

GAS TUBING.

(Application filed Dec. 26, 1901.)

(No Model.)

ma Nonms Penas co, Pno'rnu'ruo.. wAsHlNsmN, u. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEMUEL I). DODGE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO HENRY M. WHITEHEAD, OFNEW YORK, N. Y.

GAS-TUBING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 713,559, dated November1 1, 1902.

Application filed December Z6, 1901. Serial No. 87,298. (No model.)

To (all w/wm/ it 17mg concern:

Be it known that I, LEMUEL P. DODGE, a citizen of the United States,residing in New York city, in the county of New York and State ofNewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGas-Tubing, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates chiefly to that class of tubing which is used forconducting gas.

Heretofore gas-tubing has been formed by braiding, knitting, or weavinga sheath over a wire helix, so as to form a body, then coating said bodywith an impervious composition consisting chiefly of glue and glycerin,and iinally braiding, knitting, or weavingan outer protecting sheathover the whole. The necessity of passing the tubing through twoindependent braiding operations involves considerable expense for labor,not to mention the large amount of capital which must be invested inbraiding-machines. The expense of the material used in braiding is alsoconsiderable. It is the practice to form the inner sheath of a close orcompact, and hence very expensive, braiding, so as to prevent theimpervious coating, which is applied thereto in the form of a thinliquid, from soaking through and being wasted and perhaps clogging theinterior of the tubing. Moreover, when the tube is iiexed in useimpervious coating becomes strained and gradually sets, making the bendpermanent, so that the tube resists being restored to a straightcondition. In bending the tube there is a tendency to produce cracks inthe impervious coating, permitting the escape of gas, which isparticularly noticeable after the tubing has been for some time in abent condition. The usefulness of the tubing is further restrictedbecause it is not adapted for elongation or contraction, as is desiredin some instances.

The objects of my invention are to simplify the structure and theprocess of manufacturing gas-tubing, so as both to enable a small amountof machinery to yield a large product and also to reduce the cost oflabor and material. I further aim to produce tubing having increasedflexibility and also less liability to acquire a permanent set whenmaintained in a bent or cramped condition and, moreover, capable ofelongation and contraction.

Vhile certain novel features disclosed herein are shown as applied tothe structure and process of producing gas-tubing, still these featuresare in nowise limited to such use, and it is my intention to cover themin whatever way or to whatever purposes they may be applied.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a longitudinal section of afragment of one form of gas-tubing made according to my invention. Fig.2 is a'transverse section taken on the line a: a: of Fig. 3. Fig. 3shows one method of crimping paper or papery material upon a helicalwire form, so as to produce a rugose or plaited tube. Fig. 4 gives theappearance of a fragment of tubing after the operation shown at Fig. 3is completed. Fig. 5 shows a thin coating or layer of an imperviousmixture or proofing material applied to the Fig. 4 product. Fig. 6 showsthe Fig. 5 product covered by a braided fabric sheath and forming acomplete gas-conduit in its preferred form. Fig.7 is a cross-sectiontaken at the line y y of Fig. 3. Fig. 8 shows how the productillustrated at Fig. 5 readily lends itself to flexure, and Fig. 9 showsthe Fig. 5 product minus the form.

In the several views similar parts are designated by similar numerals ofreference.

In the preferred mode of practicing my invention I'employ a helical wireform 20, over or upon which I place or roll a tubing 2l, preferably ofmanila rope paper. This is preferably wrapped in several plies, threeplies being shown in this instance. The plies may be loosely wrapped,and the outer edge may be coated with glue, as indicated at 22, orotherwise. This paper tube is loose upon the helix 20, its internaldiameter being by preference materially in excess of that of the helix,as clearly seen. By suitable means I tuck or crimp the material of thetube 2l between the whirls or ribs of the form 20. If said tube is ofmanila paper, I find it advantageous first to dampen or meisten thesame, so as to render it limp or plastic, thereby enabling it to crimpwith facility and without injury and also causing it to acquire apermanent set in its crimped form. One way of crimping the material isillustrated at Fig. 3, in which it will be seen that a cord 23 may bewound over the tube with sufficient tightness to sink or crowd thematerial between the ribs of the form, the winding of' the cordfollowing the helical interval between the ribs or whirls. XVidelyvariant methods of crimping or corrugating the tube may be resorted towithin the scope of myinvention, and it is not essential in all casesthat the crimps be of the kind herein illustrated. The object in makingthe tube 2l of extra diameter is to furnish material for the depressedportions or flutes 24 of the corrugations or, in other words, to enablesaid utes to be formed without danger of tearing the paper. As theforming of the conduit progresses the material of the tube 2l is used upin longitudinal direction, so that it is necessary for the originallength thereof to be greater than that of the finished conduit. Thepaper when being tucked into the crevices between the wires is alsocaused to shir or wrinkle, as at 25. The conduit or tubing thus formedand illustrated at Fig. 4 may be used for a variety of purposes andpossesses many valuable qualities, being highly flexible, capable ofelongation or contraction, strong, durable, and simple, and, moreover,it may be constructed of inexpensive material in a simple manner andwith great expedition and at low labor cost.

In the production of gas-tubing I preferably treat the Fig. et productwith a coating 26 of material impervious to gas, such as a compound ofglue or glycerin. Preferably the material is applied with substantiallyeven thickness over the plaits of the tubing, as clearly seen at Fig. 5,so that the Fig. 5 product resembles the Fig. 4 product, except that thefine wrinkles or shirs 25 are somewhat filled up or evened by thematerial 26, which may be applied thereto in a heatedliquid form andthen allowed to dry or cool and harden. The paper, it will beunderstood, forms a backing or body which is both inexpensive and alsoWell adaptedforreceivingand protecting from injury the gas-proofmaterial 26. Moreover, the tubing th us formed, owing to the corrugatedor rugose formation of the gas-proof material, is rendered far moreflexible than heretofore and may be also drawn out or compressed endwisewithout injury. Owing to this formation neither the gas-proof coatingnor the paper is liable to take a permanent set when maintained for along time in a flexed condition, thereby overcoming or at leastminimizing a common fault in gastubing. My tubing is therefore moredurable and superior than prior tubing and is also adapted for use in avariety of' ways not hitherto found practicable. I prefer to use manilarope paper for the tubing, since it absorbs little or none of theproofing material.

In fact, the paper itself is almost impervious to gas, and hence only athin wash of proofing material is required. The proofing may beotherwise applied than as a coating upon the Fig. 4L product.

Fig. 8 illustrates the facility with which the Fig. 5 product may beiexed, the plaits at the outer portion of the bend separating, as at A,and those at the inner portion of the bend crowding together, as at B,this result being effected without appreciable tendency to injure eitherthe paper or the proofing and without rendering either of them liable toacquire a permanent set.

Over the Fig. 5 product I preferably braid a sheath of fabric 27, Fig.6, thus forming a complete gas-conduit which is serviceable, strong,phenomenally durable, highly iiexible, and capable of lengthening andcontraction within limits and which can be produced at greatly-reducedcost and in quicker time and by a less-expensive plant than tubing asheretofore constructed.

At Fig. l I show the proofed tubing sheathed with an outer plaited orcrimped tube 28, which may be formed in like manner with the inner tube21a, thus protecting the proofed material from abrasion or other injuryand forming an inexpensive and serviceable gasconduit. Its outer surfacemay be finished by the application of ocks, as at 29, or otherwise, orif a tube of extra strength and capability of withstanding every roughusage is desired said sheath 28 may be itself covered by a braided orother textile sheath, such as illustrated at 27, Fig. 6. At Fig. l itwill be observed that the pitch of the helix thread or wire is greaterthan at the other figures, and in practice my tubing may be made uponhelices of greater pitch than heretofore employed in this class oftubing, since the crimping of the paper lends strength to the tubing,and hence such a close order of ribs is not required, whereby the costof the forms may be materially reduced.

It will be perceived that one important feature of my-,iuventionconsists in the corrugated iexible paper tubing 21a, preferably backedup with a wire form, although the latter is not essential in all cases,in making either gas-tubing or other articles where great strength isnot required for resisting collapse.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. A corrugated or serratedfabric limber conduit having a wear resisting distinct sheath.

2. A plaited manila-rope -paper conduit having a braided sheath.

3. A multiple-ply crimped paper limber tube provided with an nncrimpedcylindrical sheath.

4. Atubularhelically-plaited paper limber conduit having a distinctsheath.

5. A tubular helically-plaited multiple-ply limber conduit provided withacylindrical textile sheath. Y.

IOO

'IIO

6. A corrugated or serrated fabric limber conduit having an extensiblesheath.

7. Alimberconduitcomprisingasuccession of metal ribs, apaper tube deeplycrimped be-v tween the ribs, and a textile sheath.

8. A limber conduit comprising a glued, crimped multiple-ply paper tubereinforced by a series of ribs and provided with a distinct limbersheath.

9. A conduit comprising a helix and a tube one within the other, saidtube being formed of paper and crimped between the ribs or whirls of thehelix, and a textile sheath.

10. A conduit comprising a helix within a crimped paper tube and alimber sheath upon said tube.

11. A conduit comprising a helix within a multiple-pl;7 roll or tube ofpaper which is crimped between the whirls of the helix, and a textileextensible sheath upon said tube.

12. A crimped proofed limber paper conduit provided with a distinctsheath.

13. A glued, proofed, plaited, sheathed limber paper tube.

14. Alimberconduitcomprisingamultipleply manila-rope-paper tube deeplycrimped and shirred in the form of helical plaiting and having an outercoating of impermeable material incased in textile fabric.

15. A conduit comprising a succession of metal ribs, a proofed-papertube which is crimped between said ribs, and a textile sheath. A

16. A limber conduit comprising a glued, plaited multiple-plyproofed-paper tube reinforced by a series of ribs and a textile sheath.

17. A conduit comprising a helix and a tube one Within the other, saidtube being formed of proofed paper crimped between the ribs or whirls ofthe helix and provided with a textile sheath.

1S. Aconduit comprising awire helix Within a tube of multiple-plymanila-rope paper which is crimped between the Whirls of the helix andis provided with a coating of proofing material and a textile sheath.

LEMUEL P. DODGE.

Vitnesses:

B. C. STICKNEY, C. L. RUSSELL.

